Teyolía is an animistic entity of the human being which was physically located in the heart according to the cosmovision of the
ancient Aztecs and in the beliefs of some modern indigenous groups from Mexico and Central America.
Together with the ''
tonalli'' and the ''ihíyotl'' was one of the three strengths that brings life and health to the humans. It was the part of the human being considered as the one that transcended to
afterlife
The afterlife or life after death is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's Stream of consciousness (psychology), stream of consciousness or Personal identity, identity continues to exist after the death of their ...
to different realms according ones way of death. After the
Spanish conquest
The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered in the European Age of Discovery. It ...
the term was assumed by Spaniard translators as equal to the word "ánima" and "alma" (soul), which have some reminiscences in current expressions among modern indigenous.
Etymology
The
Nahuatl
Nahuatl ( ; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahuas, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller popul ...
word ''teyolía'' incorporates the
prefix
A prefix is an affix which is placed before the stem of a word. Particularly in the study of languages, a prefix is also called a preformative, because it alters the form of the word to which it is affixed.
Prefixes, like other affixes, can b ...
"te-" and the substantive "yolía". The particle "te-" is an indefinite pronominal
prefix
A prefix is an affix which is placed before the stem of a word. Particularly in the study of languages, a prefix is also called a preformative, because it alters the form of the word to which it is affixed.
Prefixes, like other affixes, can b ...
that indicates possession, so when it is placed before a noun it can be translated as "of somebody, of another, of the people, of some". The noun "yolía" contains the
root
In vascular plants, the roots are the plant organ, organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often bel ...
"''yol''" meaning "life", consequently it can be translated as "''that what makes to live''". All together the word teyolía might be translated as "what makes to live the people". It is related etymologically with the word "yollotl", used to describe the heart.
Description
According to the Aztec thought, the ''teyolía'' was an animic entity that gives life to the human beings located in the heart and, therefore, inside every person's chest. Related with the half part of the cosmos.
In addition to the vitality it was attributed it to be the source of knowledge, tendency, affections, passions, memory and will.
The Aztecs believed that after death the teyolía was the part of the man that separated from the body remained immortal. The teyolía remained some days on the surface of earth be carried afterwards to one of any different destinations in which the Aztecs believed. The final destination of the teyolía was determined by every person's way of death.
The teyolía of the warriors, for example, was carried to the sun realm (''nepantla tonatiuh'') where they turned into beautiful birds.
Among the modern indigenous peoples the term is used in some deformed ways as "", "", "", "", "", ""; or, by means of Spanish terms "", "" or "".
See also
*
Tonalli
*
Ihíyotl
References
Bibliography
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Teyolia
Aztec mythology and religion
Nahuatl words and phrases
Aztec philosophy